California Officials Face Unprecedented Budget Gap

The New York Times ^ | May 12, 2002 | JAMES STERNGOLD

[NoControllingLegalAuthority]

Note the convenient sidestepping of a discussion of the huge (and growing) cost of the millions of illegal immigrants who have overrun the state of California.

[Cicero]

Gray Davis wasted billions of dollars on the energy crisis. Shouldn't that be mentioned?

[Mind-numbed Robot]

The shortfall could well force the state and local governments to slash an array of services, including police protection and mental health, state and local officials say.

When faced with revenue loss or the need for a tax increases the politicians always scare people by saying the police and fire services will be cut. They never mention the pork programs because they don't even want people to know about them and those are the pay-back funds for the big contributors.

[sarcasm]

Political correctness at work at the New York Times. Recently they have even dropped the term undocumented immigrant - they now describe them as people who have moved to the United States.

[ThePythonicCow]

And note the article neglects to mention how well Gov Grey Davis' prudent, honest management of the power crisis kept things from getting even worse. The article must be a plant by some ditto-head from the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy, given its obvious slant and failure to give credit to our good Govenor where credit is due </sarcasm>.

[folklore]

Do not depair, Sara Jessica Parker has a plan.

[Raymond Hendrix]

There has got to be some former Enron executives around to help California out here. Where are the good book keepers when you need them?

[folklore]

The dot-com bubble burst 2 years ago. The NYT memory is realy fading.

[Colombia59]

Why the big surprise, the state is run by free spending demacrooks at all levels, they know that they don't have to behave responsibly because all of the rest of the country will be there to bail them out again when things get tough.

[Frohickey]

The shortfall could well force the state and local governments to slash an array of services, including police protection and mental health, state and local officials say.

Los Angeles County, which has nearly 10 million people, is particularly concerned about potential cuts in the money it receives for its extensive health programs, which focus on the burgeoning immigrant community.

The top 5 percent of taxpayers accounted for 22 percent of total personal income in California in 1980. By 2000, the top 5 percent of taxpayers — with gross incomes of $150,000 or more — accounted for 42 percent of total personal income.

Watch crime skyrocket when they cut police services. In a downturn when there is unemployment, you will see property crimes rise. Expect more calls for gun control coming from California. But what are they going to do now, ask for a 1 month waiting period before you can receive a pistol? Oh, and of course, they will use this to kill gun shows, especially after the California Supreme Court ruling.

Los Angeles, and its burgeoning immigrant community. Is that illegal aliens coming from Mexico? When they have an illegal alien community, that means that they have settled in, and are now in the process of expanding. Expect Los Angeles to be spanish-speaking only, if its not already.

Taxes are being paid by the richest of the population. That means, the productive ones are paying for the non-productive ones. Why even bother to be productive if you get the benefits without the work? Sure sounds like socialism to me. Lenin and Stalin must be very proud.

[RS]

"When faced with revenue loss or the need for a tax increases the politicians always scare people by saying the police and fire services will be cut. "

Exactly ! ... How about cutting out things like the needle- supply programs ?

[Parley Baer]

Heaven forbid that the NYT should also mention that Kalifornia started the year 2001 with about a 10-12 Billion dollar surplus. So you would have to add that to the projected deficit to get the real figures. Also there is not a Republican in sight in Kalifornia to throw the blame at much as the Democrats may try. Parley

[Fish out of Water]

Index Bump

[goldstategop]

If California's government had not spent money like there was no tomorrow, we wouldn't be in this hole. No, don't expect the New York Times remind its readers that government spending here increased 37% while the population grew only 5%. Where were our public officials' priorities?

[meenie]

Their priorities went in their hip pocket, your priorities went in the toilet. Sorry, that is the way progressive democracy works.

[Demosthenes]

Thank goodness they're only thinking of cutting police protection and not welfare....at leasrt they have their priorities straight.